Manipur’s Naga MLAs have asked Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh to appoint a new Minister for the Tribal Affairs and Hills Development Department “rendered defunct due to the absence” of incumbent Letpao Haokip.
Manipur has 20 Assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Ten are represented by the Nagas and the other 10 by those belonging to the Kuki-Zo community. People from the Kuki-Zo community have been caught in an ethnic conflict with the non-tribal Meiteis since May 2023.
Mr. Haokip, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, belongs to the Kuki-Zo group.